How to make a picture as a mirror Angel Boligan depicts our "absurdities and contradictions" accurately

If it seems to you that you have already seen these illustrations somewhere, then it does not seem to you. On the Internet, Angel Boligan’s drawings can be found very often. They are posted by everyone who, in one form or another, expresses a personal attitude to what is happening in the world today. Politics, religion, education, technology – for all these and many other themes, the author has quite a few ironic and very accurate graphic plots. We interviewed Angel Boligan to find out how he does it.

— Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. We are on different continents, but looking at each of your work, I want to say: "It is about me!", "It is about my country!" How do you do it?

— I will gladly answer your questions!

Yes, in my drawings, I have been trying to reflect myself and the people around for many years. We are surrounded by absurd behavior, contradictions, manipulations and, just by looking around, I have dozens of ideas on how to make a drawing as a mirror and show the context. And thanks to globalization, new technologies and social networks, we know that what makes us laugh or saddens us, causes exactly the same reaction on the other side of the world.

— When do you understand that this or that problem or incident is becoming global and you need to make an illustration about it?

— It is not difficult. Every problem, private and local, is ultimately global in its nature. We are all, in one way or another, involved in the same politics, religion, taboos, extremism, intolerance, absurdity, as well as consumerism and technology that dictate our often-predictable behavior. I am not trying to pass judgment with my drawings, I only want to provide the evidence.

— Are your illustrations created on paper or a computer? Tell us about the process of creating them.

— Before, I always worked with ink on paper, and for color I used watercolor and pencil. However, new technologies and applications offer us endless opportunities to experiment and save time. I continue to paint with ink on paper, but in the next steps – color, texture, layers – I apply Photoshop.

— You work for a comic magazine "El Chamuco". What is this magazine about and what is your job there?

— I collaborate with various magazines and newspapers around the world. "El Chamuco" is a Mexican magazine that mainly covers domestic politics, but also publishes social comics. My cooperation with it is of an irregular nature. Most of the drawings I create have been published for 29 years in the Mexican newspaper "El Universal", which is one of the main in the country. They can be found on the opinion pages as well as in the weekly Sunday comic.

My drawings can also be seen in international media, books and online platforms.

— People don't know much about Mexico in Ukraine. Tell about today's Mexico to those who have never been there and know something about it only from the TV series "Narcos" by Netflix.

— Although I was born in Cuba, I have lived in the capital of Mexico since 1992. It is a great country with a vast culture and a population of about 130 million people, 20 million of whom live in the capital.

In the north, Mexico shares a border with the United States, stretching for more than 3,000 km, and in the south with Guatemala and Belize. Mexico is one of the most important economies in Latin America, but is no doubt better known as a cultural country with its plastic arts, monumental painters, writers, cuisine, colonial architecture and archaeological sites. All this is the heritage of humanity.

But the violence and drug dealing are usually much more visible.

— The case of Charlie Hebdo in Paris tells us that it can be dangerous to illustrate some certain topics in the media. Are there any taboo topics for you?

— Yes, the Charlie Hebdo case is disturbing for the entire guild. There are many taboos, intolerance and extremism. And our task is — to destroy them.

I believe that clever and artistic, reasoned and convincing humor can push more and more walls in our world. And it can be done without insult or aggression.

— What are you inspired by and how do you replenish your inner resource in order to work further?

— I am inspired to create an illustrated chronicle of the world in which we live. To depict changes in a person with his absurdities and contradictions, which have been accumulated for so many years.